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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: How often do you clean your fridge?
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Amanda B. Reckondwythe
Dressed for Church
# 5521
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan (on another thread):
(You also never see the back of their refrigerator, because there are so many random bottles of stuff that my dad used in one recipe and then never used again.)
In the old days, when frost-free refrigerators were a luxury and we had to "defrost", my mother would clean out the fridge at least once a month: take everything out, put pans of boiling water in the freezer compartment to melt the ice, scrub the insides and the shelves, then put everything back (except what could be thrown out).
So would I, until I moved into my first apartment that had a frost-free fridge.
Now I have it down to a ritual: I clean out the fridge twice each year: on New Year's Day and on the Fourth of July.
You?
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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.
Posts: 10542 | From: The Great Southwest | Registered: Feb 2004
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sabine
Shipmate
# 3861
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Posted
Yeah, twice a year sounds like me.
But not the vegetable drawers. A real witch's brew can get up in there pretty darn fast.
sabine
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"Hunger looks like the man that hunger is killing." Eduardo Galeano
Posts: 5887 | From: the US Heartland | Registered: Dec 2002
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Ian Climacus
Liturgical Slattern
# 944
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Posted
I live a very spartan life and shun guests, so I tend to keep a reasonably clean and empty fridge. I had someone comment they wondered if I lived there. The vegetable/fruit drawer gets a clean after I store watermelon in there as once cut it drips. I rarely have jars go past their use by/best by date as I throw them out ruthlessly.
Unlike my parents who rejoiced in all manner of foodstuffs becoming scientific experiments when I visited last year; I found jars best before 2015. I took great pride in disposing of them.
Posts: 7800 | From: On the border | Registered: Jul 2001
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Pangolin Guerre
Shipmate
# 18686
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Posted
My habit is to shop mostly on a daily basis, so generally little hangs around more than a few days except for a staggering selection of condiments (various mustards, mayonnaise, sambals, jams, vinegars, pickles, etc), so I've been able to get away with an annual comprehensive scrub.
Until.... last year, I noticed an ice accumulation in the fridge (not freezer) compartment. Odd, I thought. Then, one day, a noticed a small dribble of water from beneath the crisper. I removed the crisper drawer to find a swamp of opaque, milky sludge had accumulated. Horror. Everything out of the fridge, turned it off, scrubbed it immediately. I don't know what happened, but it happened again. Someone else is dealing with it now.
Posts: 758 | From: 30 arpents de neige | Registered: Nov 2016
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Crisper (salad) drawer: every time it get below a certain level and is about to be re-stocked. So at least once a week it is wiped out.
Once a month: all shelves, removable door compartments, etc, are removed and washed thoroughly. Interior is thoroughly washed down using a mixture of lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda and a tiny drop of laundry disinfectant in very hot water before being thoroughly dried with kitchen paper.
IME the worst culprits for depositing dirt are the bottom of milk cartons so I wipe these off before they are 'fridged.
As for the contents, nothing seems to hang around for long enough to go past a use-by date.
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
I do a bit of the fridge every day, so it works out that the whole fridge is cleaned once a week.
I have this method with cleaning the bathrooms too.
I clean a shelf or drawer of the fridge when I’ve had my morning coffee and the bathrooms when I’ve had my shower every day. That way neither is a chore to me.
Did I mention that I hate cleaning with a disproportionate passion?
My OH does all the shopping and cooking and I do the washing and cleaning so I can’t complain - but that doesn’t make me like it any better!
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
I never clean my fridge. That’s what a cleaner is for ![[Razz]](tongue.gif) .
Apart from a few condiments and jars, we actually manage to eat most of the contents of our fridge quite regularly. Skilled leftover recycling means we throw very little away.
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
posted by Boogie quote:
Did I mention that I hate cleaning with a disproportionate passion?
Me too.
I try to find ways of cleaning as I go, as it were, so that there is very little actual "cleaning time". The exception is always the oven which is always cleaned on Christmas Day (and at other times in the year as required, of course) and cleaning/de-scaling washing machines and dishwashers which takes place monthly.
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Schroedinger's cat
Ship's cool cat
# 64
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Posted
I never clear the fridge. That what wives are for.
We rarely clean ours. Mainly after there has been an accident or an accidental defrost.
I doe he joy of defrosting our freezer, breaking off the chunks of ice. There is something quite pleasing in this.
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take out this broken heart and renew my mind.
Posts: 18859 | From: At the bottom of a deep dark well. | Registered: May 2001
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
Usually once a month. I keep cotton kitchen towels in the bottom of bins and toss them in laundry and replace with clean ones. The rest of frig gets a wipe down with soap and water. Once a week on friday I make frig soup. That is any veggies left from Monday shopping go into the stock pot.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
I never clear the fridge. That what wives are for.
To which hospital would you like the flowers sent, SC? ![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Twilight
Puddleglum's sister
# 2832
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
I keep cotton kitchen towels in the bottom of bins and toss them in laundry and replace with clean ones.
That's a dandy idea! I'll bet it keeps the food crisper, too, by absorbing excess moisture.
Posts: 6817 | Registered: May 2002
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
I doe he joy of defrosting our freezer, breaking off the chunks of ice. There is something quite pleasing in this.
I managed to break a knife doing that. After stabbing the fridge lining so the fridge had to be replaced.
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
I live a very spartan life and shun guests, so I tend to keep a reasonably clean and empty fridge. I had someone comment they wondered if I lived there. The vegetable/fruit drawer gets a clean after I store watermelon in there as once cut it drips. I rarely have jars go past their use by/best by date as I throw them out ruthlessly.
Best Before dates are mostly a ruse to make you buy more stuff. I routinely use stuff months or years past its "best before". As a rule of thumb, something with a "best before" a few weeks past sale is good for months; something with a "best before" months after sale is good for years. The only thing I've noticed actually deteriorate after "best before" is crisps.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330
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Posted
We also shop on a regular (near daily) basis so there is little that stays in the fridge long enough to go off. The back has a few open jars of homemade jam which are just store there to make use of the space.
I didn't realise this regular-shopping behaviour was so common (I thought it was just me ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif) ).
Another feature of our fridge is that it is awkward to open wide enough to get the drawer out, so it is only cleaned when it gets bad enough to notice and I can overcome the can't-be-bothered reflex.
We're gradually eating through last year's fruit I grew, when that's all gone I will have to defrost the freezer ready for the next one. I only do that once a year.
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arse
Posts: 10697 | Registered: Sep 2002
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by jacobsen:
quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
I doe he joy of defrosting our freezer, breaking off the chunks of ice. There is something quite pleasing in this.
I managed to break a knife doing that. After stabbing the fridge lining so the fridge had to be replaced.
In the bad old days when I used to have to clean my own fridge, I was advised that the ultimate defrosting tool is a hot hairdryer. Works like magic.
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
When we lived in West Africa, we had a fridge that could run on electricity or kerosene - useful as we didn't have electricity 24/7.
We would turn it off, open the doors and put bowls of boiling water into it. This, coupled with the hot weather, soon defrosted it. Afterwards, to get it cooled back down as quickly as possible , we sometimes lit the burner and connected it to the mains for a bit as well - it seemed to work!
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mr cheesy:
I didn't realise this regular-shopping behaviour was so common (I thought it was just me ).
We do it too. Often we buy things on the bargain shelves which need to be used in a day or two (or we freeze them) - it saves a lot of money.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
We do it too. Often we buy things on the bargain shelves which need to be used in a day or two (or we freeze them) - it saves a lot of money.
Yeah, me too. We used to buy almost everything from the reduced shelf, but since we moved that's not been quite so easy. But I've still continued the regular shopping pattern.
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arse
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
Well, by no means all the stuff on the reduced shelf is what we want to eat!
My wife is a dab hand at using up leftovers. We had a roast chicken on Sunday, she made African Chicken Yassa last night and there's still enough to freeze for another meal. And she's made some soup which we'll have at lunchtime.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330
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Posted
We used to go to the shop and then cook whatever we could get hold of immediately afterwards.
We don't have leftovers - only exceptions are when I've deliberately cooked one meal for two days, for example stew as we are having today.
[ 17. January 2018, 08:18: Message edited by: mr cheesy ]
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arse
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
We find that bigger joints taste better than little ones, so we deliberately get ones which can be roasted on Day 1 and used for stewing etc. on Day 2.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330
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Posted
Ah. I don't roast joints, I don't like the smell. A few times a year I'll cook a chicken in the slow cooker and then freeze in bags to use later.
I suppose that's a form of leftovers in a way, although it is deliberate.
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arse
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
Exactly. ![[Smile]](smile.gif) And, for instance, my wife always cooks Portuguese "bacalhau a braz" on Christmas Eve (we spent our first married Christmas in Lisbon), she always makes double and freezes half.
[ 17. January 2018, 08:36: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
What is this "reduced" of which you speak? In our place it is termed "distressed" - foodstuffs that are sad and in need of a good home.
I hadn't realised how ingrained the routine of going to the "distressed" section was until we were on holiday with friends and the children, having rushed ahead, came back (with trolley) and then dragged us all to the "distressed" section, bypassing everything else. Friends were a trifle taken aback!
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
Now that's a term I have never come across in regard to food. Aged gentlefolk, yes; and antique furniture - but not food!
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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mr cheesy
Shipmate
# 3330
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Posted
I thought shrinkage was the retail description for it.
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arse
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Arethosemyfeet
Shipmate
# 17047
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Posted
The problem with the reduced section is exemplified by the lemon cheesecake (85p) currently sitting in the fridge.
On the fridge cleaning thing our fridge keeps very low temperatures so things very rarely go bad in the fridge. We clean the fridge... in all honesty probably when we move house.
Posts: 2933 | From: Hebrides | Registered: Apr 2012
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
If I have to play animal, vegetable, mineral with something out of the fridge, it has been Too Long...
Posts: 3259 | From: UK | Registered: Jul 2003
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Sparrow
Shipmate
# 2458
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Now that's a term I have never come across in regard to food. Aged gentlefolk, yes; and antique furniture - but not food!
That brings back a memory! The Society for the Aid of Distressed Gentlefolk )or some similar name) used to advertise regularly in the broadsheet newspapers. I always wondered how you qualified!
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For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Posts: 3149 | From: Bottom right hand corner of the UK | Registered: Mar 2002
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
Yes, that's what I was thinking of, too. Presumably, if you needed to ask about qualifications, that was a sure sign that you didn't qualify!
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mr cheesy:
Ah. I don't roast joints, I don't like the smell. A few times a year I'll cook a chicken in the slow cooker and then freeze in bags to use later.
I suppose that's a form of leftovers in a way, although it is deliberate.
Try oven bags - the meat browns well, keeps moist and flavoursome, and you can easily add a chopped onion or 2, a quartered lemon or whatever you like. Works very well also for the large pieces of turkey Madame buys at a farm sort of between her works and home. Being organic, old breed and free range, the meat can be a bit dry and stringy, but not when cooked in the bag.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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Gracious rebel
Rainbow warrior
# 3523
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Posted
I cleaned my parents fridge while I was over there this morning ... I think it must have been years since it was last done! (Mum can't bend down now, and it doesn't occur to Dad that it is necessary) Found an opened jar of mint sauce lurking at the back with a 2009 date on it.
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Posts: 4413 | From: Suffolk UK | Registered: Nov 2002
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LutheranChik
Shipmate
# 9826
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Posted
I’ve taught myself to do a quick sweep of the fridge whenever I take out the trash. But some biological experiments do still get pushed to the back anyway, only to be discovered weeks later( like our friend’s dish of holiday lemon curd).
Big clean once a year; crispers more often.
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Simul iustus et peccator
http://www.lutheranchiklworddiary.blogspot.com
Posts: 6462 | From: rural Michigan, USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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